When designing an aircraft, wing characteristics are typically dependent upon the type of mission that the aircraft will be primarily performing. Wing thickness may be a factor of the desired lift criteria, while the angle of wing sweep may be selected according to the desired cruise speed. Conventionally, the slower the aircraft, the lower the sweep, while the faster the aircraft, the higher the sweep. For example, fighter aircraft that are designed for supersonic flight commonly take advantage of aerodynamic advantages corresponding to a highly-swept wing planform. Conversely, cargo aircraft that are designed to maximize lift at subsonic speeds commonly utilize wing planform designs that do not include a high degree of sweep.
Powered-lift aircraft include aircraft that utilize upper surface blown (USB) flap technology to significantly increase lift through the deployment of flaps within the exhaust plumes of the engines. These aircraft commonly use minimal wing sweep angles since low-speed, high-lift flight operations are a primary design focus. A characteristic inherent with conventional powered-lift aircraft is that these aircraft experience significant changes in the balance and stability of the aircraft upon activation and deactivation of powered-lift systems during low-speed operations. This stability shift is due to the increased pitching moment created when the flaps, located aft of the aircraft center of gravity, create large quantities of additional lift when deployed in the engine exhaust plumes. The pitching moment changes dramatically again when the flaps are retracted, significantly decreasing the lift. To control this shift in aircraft stability, large tail surfaces are commonly utilized to counter the induced pitching moments. However, large tail surfaces result in additional drag as well as an increase in the size of the radar signature of the aircraft.
It is with respect to these considerations and others that the disclosure made herein is presented.